Thin Places

Thin Places is back! Over the next few months, we'll turn our attention from thin places in space, and toward “thin places'' in time.  We'll hear stories of people who step across a threshold into a new chapter of their lives. And when they look back through that doorway, they find that their past looks different. They've stepped into a new story, and they look back at their past they see gifts to bring with them: pearls of great price. They also see wounds that need to heal, or patterns or habits that don't fit anymore.  We have some moving stories in store for you—and are looking for even more stories! So if you've had an experience that transformed your perspective on your past, reach out! Sharing stories is one way that we grow together in faith and love and solidarity. As this season goes on, we'll also use these stories from our own individual life to reflect together on the history of this parish, Zion.

For our last episode of this "season," Mother Lindsay and Carl talk about what lessons we are learning as a Zion community amidst this challenging year. What are we learning from this podcast experiment? From worshipping together on Zoom? What do we want to carry forward? What is God calling us into as we seek to live more deeply into God's dream for us?Many, many thanks to all the people who have made this podcast possible, especially Nick Marsella, who wrote original music for it, and for DJ Cashmere, who offered invaluable production help. But thanks most of all to all those who spoke so bravely and vulnerably here—and to all who listened.

This week we speak with two people who are grieving: Regan Calmer and Sureya Addoh. Both of them speak about the Zion churchyard as a thin place in which those we've lost are present, and a thin place which invites us to maintain it through the work of care. We recorded this episode before the election, and when it's released, states might still be counting and contesting votes. This episode is full of wisdom and grace, but it also has moments that are a little heavy. Whether you listen now or save this episode for later, keep breathing, and keep praying for peace, justice, and healing in our nation.

This week, we're at the La Jornada Food Pantry in Flushing, Queens with attorney, activist, and Zion Sunday School teacher Alexis Soterakis. We talk about living our values, faith and activism, and the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, and whose work still ripples around us. 

We're back! This week we talk with Mary Beth Welsh about an experience she had with Zion's Peanut Butter and Jesus ministry at Penn Station. It's a moment that has stayed with her through the pandemic: it reminds her to ask God to help her show up as God needs her to be—to be a conduit for God's infinite compassion. Following Mary Beth's example, we practice offering ourselves to God: keeping our eyes soft, and our hands open.

This week, we talk with Rachel Shonfeld, a wise and compassionate 16-year-old. We met Rachel in Alley Pond Park, where she told us about the extra stresses that young people are facing in this time, and how God is showing up for her—in nature, in friendship, and in prayer. You can find Rachel's thin place by the pond in our developing map here. We're taking a week off to catch up on interviews, but we'll be back with a new batch of episodes on October 21st. If you've got a thin place, we want to hear about it! Message us on Facebook, or drop us a line at zionchurch11363@aol.com.

Last summer, Zion built a labyrinth in the grass on the west side of the churchyard. This labyrinth is still pretty new to us, but labyrinths have been thin places for spiritual seekers for thousands of years. This week, we talk to Merrill Tomlinson Carinci to hear about how our labyrinth came to be, and to get some guidance about how to trust the winding path and let God come close as we walk. Our labyrinth is open to anyone and everyone, anytime. We invite you to come walk it, following some of the suggestions we offer in this episode. Or, we invite you to use our short meditation as a way to place your feet upon the pilgrim's way—wherever you're standing. 

In our second episode, Zion parishioner Lynn Koch teaches us how sensing God's presence in nature, and about what forests have to teach us about new growth amidst loss. Then, Mother Lindsay leads a meditation about nature's cycles and seasons. If you want to do that meditation in the exact place where we recorded our interview, you can find it on this map! Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Apple Podcasts  Spotify  Google Podcasts  Stitcher  TuneIn (Or just ask Alexa to play the "Thin Places" podcast!) Or "like" the Zion Facebook page, and new episodes will appear right in your feed. 

In our first episode, we explore the thin places right in our homes with 4 parishioners from Zion. We laugh, we reflect, we get a little misty, and Mother Lindsay offers a blessing for all our homes.